Judge: Detroit Can Proceed With Bankruptcy

(CNNMoney) — A federal judge has given a green light for Detroit to proceed with its bankruptcy, the largest municipal bankruptcy in history.

The ruling opens the door for the city to cut billions of dollars in payments that are owed to city employees, retirees, investors and other creditors.

Unions and pension funds had argued that the city should not be eligible to use bankruptcy court protections. They said that regardless of the Detroit’s financial troubles, city and state officials did not negotiate with creditors in good faith in an effort to reach a deal on its liabilities.

In his ruling, the judge found the city did not meet that threshold, yet he ruled that such negotiations were impractical because of the huge number of creditors, which total more than 100,000. So, ultimately, he concluded that the city filed its petition properly.

Creditors are expected to appeal the decision.

Detroit filed for bankruptcy court protection on July 18.

Once one of the nation’s largest cities, Detroit was a symbol of U.S. manufacturing might. But decades of declining population and the departure of businesses have left it struggling with high crime, high taxes and poor city services.

Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, who was appointed by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder in March to oversee the city’s finances, has proposed slashing more than $9 billion of $11.5 billion in unsecured debt in order to fix the city’s finances.

But Orr’s plan could mean deep cuts to the pension benefits and retiree health care coverage that has been promised to city employees. It could also mean investors holding debt issued by Detroit would receive only pennies on the dollar.